For this capital defect in the tenure
of Roman power, no matter in whose hands deposited, there was no absolute
remedy. Many a sleepless night, during the perilous game which he played
with Anthony, must have familiarized Octavius with that view of the risk,
which to some extent was inseparable from his position as the leader in
such a struggle carried on in such an empire. In this dilemma, struck with
the extreme necessity of applying some palliation to the case, we have no
doubt that Augustus would devise the scheme of laying some distant king
under such obligations to fidelity as would suffice to stand the first
shock of misfortune. Such a person would have power enough, of a direct
military kind, to face the storm at its outbreak. He would have power of
another kind in his distance. He would be sustained by the courage of
hope, as a kinsman having a contingent interest in a kinsman's prosperity.
And, finally, he would be sustained by the courage of despair, as one who
never could expect to be trusted by the opposite party. In the worst case,
such a prince would always offer a breathing time and a respite to his
friends, were it only by his remoteness, and if not the _means_ of
rallying, yet at least the _time_ for rallying, more especially as
the escape to his frontier would be easy to one who had long forecast it.
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